I figure now's as good a time as any to start writing a blog, and what better place to start than here. I've been following the site for a while now, ever since I heard the Giant Bomb crew on the end of the year 1up podcast a while ago, but haven't really been to active in the community. I'd like to change that, hopefully using this blog here as a jumping off point.  Speaking of points, this post has none.

 Let's kick this off with what game I started the year 2010 off with; Mass Effect...er wait. What? Why on earth would I, with a copy of Darksiders and a new PSP complete with a stack of games, replay Mass Effect for the 4th time? Well if you're still here I'll guess you want to know! Mass Effect, over two years after it's release, still holds up as one of my all time favorite games, despite its flaws.  With Mass Effect 2 right around the corner, I figured there was no better time to make sure the save file I wanted to import had everyone living that I wanted to see in the next game (I'm looking at you Wrex) and a certain someone dead (I'm looking at you Ashley).  Despite the urge to blow through Darksiders,which at this point I'm about 60% done with (more on that at a later time), I persevered and I have to say I'm happy going into ME2. 
  
I'm a little scared, however, that ME2 might not meet the expectations I have for it, and I don't think it's going to have anything to do with the quality of the game.  From all I've seen/heard, which I'll admit hasn't been all that much as I've been trying to avoid too many story spoilers, ME2 looks to be an improvement over the first in nearly every way. I just can't see it clicking the same way the first one did. I almost exclusively played through the game, every time, with Wrex and Garrus, and grew to love the witty banter between Shepard and the two.  I've seen the profiles of the new party members, and while they seem like they are going to be interesting, I'm not sure any will be able to fill the space left by Garrus and Wrex.  
 
Don't get me wrong, this is in no way a complaint about ME2, and for all I know they could both be playable, but i couldn't think of anything else to write about with all this Mass Effect on my mind.  Hopefully, come January 26th, all my fears will be laid to rest and I'll get completely engrossed with Shepard and his new mission. 
 
So yeah, I guess that's it for now. I know it's not much, and not particularly deep, but if you have any feedback I'd appreciate it, or any ideas for something interesting to write about! I haven't written for my college paper in a while, so I'm feeling a little bit rusty. 

 I figure now's as good a time as any to start writing a blog, and what better place to start than here. I've been following the site for a while now, ever since I heard the Giant Bomb crew on the end of the year 1up podcast a while ago, but haven't really been to active in the community. I'd like to change that, hopefully using this blog here as a jumping off point.  Speaking of points, this post has none.

 Let's kick this off with what game I started the year 2010 off with; Mass Effect...er wait. What? Why on earth would I, with a copy of Darksiders and a new PSP complete with a stack of games, replay Mass Effect for the 4th time? Well if you're still here I'll guess you want to know! Mass Effect, over two years after it's release, still holds up as one of my all time favorite games, despite its flaws.  With Mass Effect 2 right around the corner, I figured there was no better time to make sure the save file I wanted to import had everyone living that I wanted to see in the next game (I'm looking at you Wrex) and a certain someone dead (I'm looking at you Ashley).  Despite the urge to blow through Darksiders,which at this point I'm about 60% done with (more on that at a later time), I persevered and I have to say I'm happy going into ME2. 
  
I'm a little scared, however, that ME2 might not meet the expectations I have for it, and I don't think it's going to have anything to do with the quality of the game.  From all I've seen/heard, which I'll admit hasn't been all that much as I've been trying to avoid too many story spoilers, ME2 looks to be an improvement over the first in nearly every way. I just can't see it clicking the same way the first one did. I almost exclusively played through the game, every time, with Wrex and Garrus, and grew to love the witty banter between Shepard and the two.  I've seen the profiles of the new party members, and while they seem like they are going to be interesting, I'm not sure any will be able to fill the space left by Garrus and Wrex.  
 
Don't get me wrong, this is in no way a complaint about ME2, and for all I know they could both be playable, but i couldn't think of anything else to write about with all this Mass Effect on my mind.  Hopefully, come January 26th, all my fears will be laid to rest and I'll get completely engrossed with Shepard and his new mission. 
 
So yeah, I guess that's it for now. I know it's not much, and not particularly deep, but if you have any feedback I'd appreciate it, or any ideas for something interesting to write about! I haven't written for my college paper in a while, so I'm feeling a little bit rusty. 

I think I've played through Mass Effect at least 5 times, and I'm currently attempting a Hardcore playthrough. The game doesn't seem to get old for me.

Every time I try playing through on hardcore, I get to Benezia and just lose the will to continue on unfortunately. 

" Every time I try playing through on hardcore, I get to Benezia and just lose the will to continue on unfortunately.  "

That's discouraging because I'm doing the Noveria mission right now :( "

" @natetodamax said: 

That's discouraging because I'm doing the Noveria mission right now :( "

Well hopefully you'll fair a bit better than I have! Who are you taking in with you? "

What class are you playing right now?
 
Personally I have finished it 3 times and am on my fourth. I haven't tried it on Hardcore yet i'll probably do that next.

" @Qdor said:

" @natetodamax said: 

That's discouraging because I'm doing the Noveria mission right now :( "

Well hopefully you'll fair a bit better than I have! Who are you taking in with you? "

......Ashley and Tali because I'm an idiot that wants those two achievements for beating the majority of the game with them. "

What I'm about to say is a subtle spoiler: 
 
You're probably not going to be as depressed as you think you will about the squadmates.
 
/End subtle spoiler. 
 
I understand that you're trying to avoid any spoilers and I'm trying to respect that. If you did read the spoiler and not understand what I meant, then good. If you did, then fuck. If you already knew about that little bit of information (which doesn't seem likely based off of your blog), then I'll be a little angry that I was second-guessing whether I should post this comment or not.